Bush Leaving
Behind

America’s College Students

Bush claims that education is a
priority for him.College costs are
rising, state governments are cutting higher education funding, and Bush is
restricting access to college by working against affirmative action and Title
IX programs.Through implementing a
new regulation governing financial aid, the Bush Administration is gutting
funding for 84,000 of America’s college students.

Bush
Implemented a Regulation that Guts Financial Aid for 84,000 College Students.

Ø“The Department of Education estimates that 84,000
students would lose Pell Grant eligibility altogether as a result of the [Bush]
regulation.”A New York
Times Editorial stated “The formula was supposed to be revised yearly, but went
untouched for a decade. Then suddenly, the Education Department revised
the formula — but used state tax data from 2000, before the recession that has
sent state taxes rising again.”[“Punishing the Pell Grant Program” New
York Times Editorial October 29, 2003]

ØBush’s regulation negatively impacts more than just
federal assistance.Offering
an amendment to reverse the Bush regulation, Democratic Congressman Dave Obey
(WI) said,“On May 30, 2003, the Administration quietly issued a
new regulation to put an additional financial squeeze on millions of college
students and their families by cutting their deduction for state and
local taxes in the student financial aid eligibility formula. As a result, many
of these families can expect to pay more toward college expenses next year and
receive less in federal financial aid…[T]he federal student aid formula is
widely used in distributing all types of aid, the Administration’s proposal
affects not only Pell Grants and federal student loans, but also state and
institutional assistance.”

ØPell Grants used to cover 80% of public-college
tuition—25 years ago.Now, it covers
only 40%.

The maximum award of the
federal Pell Grant program, created to encourage low- and middle-income
students to attend college, covered more than 80 percent of public-college
tuition a quarter-century ago but covers only about 40 percent today. Faced
with high tuition, up to 25 percent of the low-income students
with grades and scores that make them prime college material no longer even
apply.[“Punishing the Pell
Grant Program” New
York Times Editorial October 29, 2003]

Ø"[Democrats] were able to
stop these punitive changes," said Senator Jon
Corzine, a New Jersey Democrat who introduced legislation that ultimately
yielded a deal…[A] House-Senate
conference committee said they had agreed to halt the new
financial aid rules for at least a year. [Lawmakers
Move to Halt Cuts in Aid for College, New York Times, 11/21/03]

ØVoting primarily along party lines in the U.S. Senate, 44
Democrats, 6 Republicans and 1 Independentvoted to overturn Bush
regulation to gut college aid for 84,000 students.[“Senate
Blocks Changes in Student Aid Rules” Reuters 9/10/03]

College More
Costly in Bush Economy.

Annual Report:College More Costly in Bush Economy

ØTuition
costs at public colleges rose more rapidly last year than at any time over the
past three decades, according to a report released yesterday. After
adjusting for inflation, costs were up 13 percent for the year and
47 percent for the past decade. The annual report by the College
Board, which collects data from more than 4,000 institutions, said
tuition and fees also rose substantially last year at private colleges and
universities, but at a slower rate than in the public sector. If room and board
costs are included, the average student now pays $26,854 a year to
attend a private university, and $10,636 to attend a public
university in his or her own state. [“Tuition Soars at Public
Colleges:Costs Up
13% for the Year, 47% for the Decade, Study Says” Washington
Post 10/22/03]

In Bush
Economy, States Steep Cuts Targets Higher Education.

ØThe
College Board, which owns the SAT, released its annual Trends in College
Pricing report…documenting cost increases that have been particularly
steep in recent years because of big cuts in state funding.The report said that 60 percent of
undergraduates are using financial aid packages to help pay for college. [“Private,
Public College Costs Rise Again” Associated
Press 10/21/03]

·In 2003, Democratic California among those states with
little or no increases in cost.

California, Maine,
Hawaii, New York and Pennsylvania showed little or no increase in public
two-year tuition from the past year.[“Study:
Public college tuition soars” Silicon
Valley/San Jose Business Journal 2/11/03]

Using MLK Day
as a backdrop,Bush
challenged Michigan’s Affirmative Action Plan.

ØUsing the
Martin Luther King National Holiday weekend as a backdrop, Bush challenged the
University of Michigan’s Affirmative Action Plan.“At their core, the Michigan policies amount to a quota system
that unfairly rewards or penalizes perspective students, based solely on their
race. [“President Bush Discusses
Michigan Affirmative Action Case: Remarks by the President on the MichiganAffirmative Action Case” White House Press Release 1/15/03]

…as
opposed to being based solely upon social and financial privilege.[See Talking Point on Legacy.]

Corporate, Military and Bush Administrations
Supporters of Affirmative
Action.

ØMilitary:“Among the military leaders signing
onto the brief were former defense secretaries William Perry and William Cohen;
Gen. Schwarzkopf, who commanded the first Persian Gulf War; and Adm. William
Crowe, Gen. Hugh Shelton and Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, all former chairmen of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” [Deadline Arrives for
High Court Affirmative Action Briefs, Fox News Channel
2/20/03]

“I have always been a
supporter of affirmative action. It benefited me, and I think
there is still a need for affirmative action in America to
redress some of the historic problems that we have brought into the present…I have
always felt that the Michigan case was an acceptable form of affirmative
action.”

ØUsing Yale’s Legacy Tradition, Bush traded on the
family name to get into the university. “With his mediocre grades and college
board scores totaling 1206 out of a possible 1600, Yale was no sure bet for
Bush… But Yale, his father's alma mater, came through.” [“The evolution
of George W. Bush” USA TODAY 7/28/2000]

“In 1964, however, legacy was
still important at Yale, where
[his grandfather] Prescott Bush sat on the board of trustees, and George W.
need not have applied elsewhere.”[“This
Bush a 'late bloomer'” Boston Globe 8/3/2000]

Legacy:Affirmative action for the academically
challenged, socially privileged ones, where the children of former graduates
get a pass on the merit requirements for college entrance.

ØThe
Bush Administration wants to make compliance with gender equity in education
purely a voluntary matter.Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits gender discrimination in educational
institutions that receive federal funding.The threat of a lawsuit to ensure compliance has been effective in
enforcingTitle IX.The Bush
Administration wants to change compliance from being mandatory to being
voluntary.In other words, make it
easier to discriminate by making compliance voluntary.Houston Chronicle reporter Fran Blinebury
said it best when she wrote “Yes, that always has worked so well with
industry and the environment, with corporate crooks allowed to police
themselves.”

ØWomen and
Girls Defeat Bush.In July 2003, the Bush
Administration backed down from reversing three decades of progress in
protecting women and girls from gender discrimination. “[S]ince the passage of
Title IX in 1972, women's participation in sports has increased more than 400
percent at the college level and more than 800 percent at the high school
level.” [“Feminists Celebrate Title IX Victory” NOW Newsletter
7/14/03;“Further
Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance Regarding Title IX
Compliance”Office
of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education 7/11/03]